Creative Youth Festival

Join us for Wysing’s Creative Youth Festival, a celebration of creativity in all its forms!

Meet artists, make friends, and take part in hands on, creative workshops.

Have a go in our sound recording studio, experiment with makeup, create your own marbled paper, or try out making with clay... With even more workshops soon to be announced, there will be lots to choose from.

Get curious and be inspired – we'd love you to come along!

Who is it for?

This festival is for young people aged 12 – 18.

Young people can attend independently, subject to parent/guardian permission. You can also attend with your youth group or organisation, or with your family.

The festival has been co-designed with Wysing’s Creative Youth Council, especially for other young people. The CYC are a group of young people who meet regularly at Wysing to work with artists and develop creative projects.

Why should I come?

Do you enjoy being creative? Do you like making things, or trying stuff out just for fun?

Maybe you want to make new friends and meet other people like you, who share your interests?

Or maybe you want to find new ways to develop your creative portfolio, expanding your skills with a new technique, a different material or process?

Would you like to meet and work with professional artists and find out more about what they do?

The youth festival is a space to be playful, it will give you the chance to explore and experience different kinds of art and share your creativity.

Plus, being involved in the arts has been shown to have a positive impact on wellbeing. Creativity enables people to have a sense of belonging, and the youth festival at Wysing is a great opportunity to enable you to feel connected with your own creativity, nature, and other people.

Access & Reasonable Adjustments

A calm, quiet room is available onsite.

Accessible parking and toilets are available.

Please get in touch if you'd like a site visit prior to the event.

If you have other access requirements or educational needs that you would like to check with us before booking, please get in touch with Michaela D’Agati, Young People’s Programme Coordinator at [email protected] and we will be happy to help.

Please be aware that while we try to offer access and reasonable adjustments wherever possible, we are not a specialist or alternative provision provider and do not have specialist staff to support complex needs. We are always very happy to discuss what we can make possible in our programmes and where we can work together; it is our priority to ensure the young people we work with are safe and happy.

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

We want to support young people to have the freedom to explore creativity, independently.

We ask the parent/guardian/youth worker/group lead to specify if they are happy to allow the young person(s) to explore our rural site freely.

Please be aware that Wysing is an open site (i.e., not enclosed by walls or fences). We are set in 11 acres of rural land with fields and woodland and an open entrance way onto a ‘B’ road. We ask you to take this into consideration when booking.

To help you make this decision we have provided a risk assessment that specifies what we are doing to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of young people at the event.

You can download our Risk Assessment here.

Wysing Arts Centre is committed to providing a safe environment for all children, young people, and vulnerable adults and their safety and welfare is paramount to the organisation when they visit or work with us.

You can download our Safeguarding Policy here.

We have an organisational Code of Conduct for you to read before visiting Wysing.

You can download our Wysing Code of Conduct here.

FAQs

Do I need to attend for the whole day?

No, you don’t need to attend for the whole day, you can stay for as little or as long as you want.

Do I need to book?

Yes, booking is required.

We are asking people to book via Eventbrite, so we know how many people to expect. Bookings must be completed by/with a responsible adult, to agree to the event details.

Do I need to have any experience?

No, you don't need to have any previous art experience. All materials for the workshops are included and you’ll be shown how to use them. Come along and try things out!

Do I need to pay for the festival?

We have a sliding scale for ticket prices that enables people to contribute in a way that matches what they can afford.

Tickets:

£5 for a young person paying for themselves (no transport)

£10 For a young person paying for themselves, plus transport to and from Wysing

£15 per young person for those who can afford it (no transport)

£30 per young person for those who can afford it, plus transport to and from Wysing

Tickets are free for young people who are in receipt of pupil premium and/or are part of Wysing’s Creative Youth Council, or our local youth groups and organisations we are connected to.

Please get in touch with our Young People’s Programme Coordinator at [email protected] if you meet these criteria or would like to know more.

Why the extra costs on some tickets?

Because Wysing Arts Centre is a charity, we need to raise money to fund everything we do. If you can afford to pay for a ticket, you will be helping us support the Youth Festival and cover the costs of running an event like this, which means we can keep tickets free for those who need them the most.

Do I need to bring lunch?

There will be a food van at the festival for the duration of the day. If you would like to buy food here on the day, please bring some cash or a card.

Alternatively, you can bring along your own packed lunch.

There will be designated areas where people can sit to eat their food, either indoors or outside.

What should I wear?

We recommend wearing clothing you feel comfortable in. Some activities can be messy, like using clay or ink, so it is advisable to wear clothes you don’t mind getting a bit grubby! Aprons will be provided for messier activities.

We also recommend sturdy, comfortable footwear as you might want to explore Wysing’s fields and woodland, where the ground can be uneven. Also make sure to bring weather appropriate clothing!

How can I get there?

Taxi travel can be provided for young people from pick up points in Cambourne, Cambridge and Huntingdon with DBS checked taxi drivers. This must be booked by 9am on Monday 21st October.

You can select your travel options when you book your ticket.

For Cambridge & Cambourne taxi options: For 12 noon arrival - the taxi departs from Cambridge at 11.20am, collecting from Cambourne at 11.45am, arriving at Wysing for 12pm.

For Huntingdon taxi options: For 12 noon arrival - the taxi leaves Huntingdon at 11.30pm, arriving at Wysing for 12pm.

All taxis will depart Wysing at 5:15pm and will follow the same route back, arriving in Cambourne at 5.30pm, Cambridge and Huntingdon at 6pm. Timings are approximate.

Please note: if you require transport but find it difficult to attend from these locations, please get in touch with us so we can discuss potential travel options to support your attendance.

Wheelchair accessible transport can be provided if needed. If you require it, please tick the box on the Eventbrite ticket checkout page and we will be in touch by email to confirm arrangements with you. Please let us know by 9am on Monday 21st October at the latest.

I’m a parent/guardian/youth worker. Do I need to attend/stay on site for the event?

We want to encourage young people to explore their own creative interests, in an environment where risks are managed as well as is feasibly possible.

It is the responsibility of the adult (parent/guardian/youth worker) who books to ensure that they understand and agree to the plans put in place by Wysing to minimise potential risks during the event, and to undertake their own assessment of risk for the young person/people they intend on bringing to the event.

During the event, there will be spaces available with Wi-Fi around Wysing for adults to base themselves if they want/need to stay on site.

For other questions, please email Michaela D’Agati, our Young People’s Programme Coordinator at [email protected]

With thanks to our funders for making this event possible: Arts Council, England & the John Armitage Charitable Foundation.

Image credit: Amazing poster made in collaboration with Wysing’s Creative Youth Council and artist Dylan Fox and Silly Gooze Editions.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Wysing Arts Centre, Fox Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom